CRISPR, or Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, is a powerful gene-editing tool that has been transforming agriculture and food production. By enabling precise and targeted modifications to the genetic code of crops, CRISPR is helping to improve crop yield, enhance nutritional value, and increase resistance to various environmental stressors.
The potential of CRISPR technology to enhance crop resilience is particularly significant in the context of global climate change. By editing genes related to drought, flooding, waterlogging, salinity, heavy metals, and nutrient deficiencies, CRISPR can help crops withstand these adverse conditions and maintain their yield. Moreover, CRISPR technology is also being used to identify and edit orthologues of genes from extremophytes, or plants that thrive in extreme environments, in crops. This approach has the potential to unlock new molecular mechanisms for abiotic stress tolerance and further enhance the resilience of food crops.